Gold, gems and Renoirs: France's museums grapple with a wave of smash-and-grab thefts

France's museums are facing an increasing wave of smash-and-grab thefts, as reported by the AP. Two men in eastern France used sledgehammers to smash a display case and steal a 2,500-year-old gold necklace in under four minutes. In July, three masked robbers stole 27 pieces of jewelry worth over 4.5 million euros from another French museum by breaking through two doors.

This week, thieves broke into a museum on the French Riviera, slicing through a fence and climbing through a window, and made off with two Pierre-Auguste Renoir paintings. They left two other artworks by the Impressionist master behind. These recent thefts come after the Louvre's 88 million euro heist last year, highlighting France's treasure trove of art accumulated over centuries and the country's passion for paintings, sculptures, ancient artifacts, and other valuables.

The thefts underscore the challenges museums face in protecting their collections, with criminals seeing museums as soft targets. Guillaume Poitrinal, president of a foundation that funds the renovation and protection of French cultural sites, emphasized the need for increased investment in security to safeguard France's cultural heritage.

European police agency Europol reported that museum heists are becoming more violent, with criminals using sledgehammers, axes, crowbars, and even explosives. The ancient gold necklace stolen from a museum in eastern France, along with a record 10 burglaries targeting French and European museums this summer, highlight the growing threats faced by museums.